Best colleges for criminal justice in Florida
Florida State University ranks first in Florida for criminal justice value (#12 nationally, value score 80.9): graduates earn $57,417 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $8,605 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 17 Florida colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best criminal justice colleges in Florida
Florida State University ranks first in Florida for criminal justice value (#12 nationally, value score 80.9): graduates earn $57,417 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $8,605 a year. 17 Florida colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $53,545 and the average net price is $11,689 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 17 Florida colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $53,545 and the average net price is $11,689 a year.
- The highest criminal justice earnings in the state are at Nova Southeastern University ($71,972), ranked #3 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
- The lowest average net price among them is at Indian River State College: $2,617 a year.
- Median earnings
- $53,545
- National: $55,481
- Median net price
- $11,689
- National: $16,222
- Median federal debt
- $17,409
- criminal justice graduates
- Public colleges
- 10 of 17
- in this list
17 colleges
The Florida ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Earnings
- $57,417
- Net price
- $8,605
- Federal debt
- $14,250
- Graduation rate
- 86%
- Earnings
- $55,830
- Net price
- $11,462
- Federal debt
- $14,923
- Graduation rate
- 78%
- Rank in Florida 3
Fort Lauderdale, FL · Private nonprofit · #53 nationally
69.7Value- Earnings
- $71,972
- Net price
- $27,714
- Federal debt
- $21,750
- Graduation rate
- 62%
- Earnings
- $68,824
- Net price
- $43,806
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 57%
- Earnings
- $54,215
- Net price
- $11,555
- Federal debt
- $13,875
- Graduation rate
- 57%
- Earnings
- $53,545
- Net price
- $10,394
- Federal debt
- $16,433
- Graduation rate
- 64%
- Earnings
- $52,447
- Net price
- $11,516
- Federal debt
- $16,250
- Graduation rate
- 78%
- Earnings
- $55,634
- Net price
- $7,232
- Federal debt
- $17,409
- Graduation rate
- 33%
- Earnings
- $51,654
- Net price
- $11,689
- Federal debt
- $16,350
- Graduation rate
- 69%
- Earnings
- $48,073
- Net price
- $2,617
- Federal debt
- $7,500
- Graduation rate
- 43%
- Earnings
- $60,389
- Net price
- $24,658
- Federal debt
- $22,250
- Graduation rate
- 42%
- Earnings
- $46,631
- Net price
- $9,443
- Federal debt
- $16,750
- Graduation rate
- 60%
- Rank in Florida 13
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Tallahassee, FL · Public · #289 nationally
36.7Value- Earnings
- $44,891
- Net price
- $15,220
- Federal debt
- $17,780
- Graduation rate
- 61%
- Rank in Florida 14
Miami Gardens, FL · Private nonprofit · #333 nationally
28.4Value- Earnings
- $54,337
- Net price
- $26,153
- Federal debt
- $23,625
- Graduation rate
- 28%
- Rank in Florida 15
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, FL · Private nonprofit · #346 nationally
24.5Value- Earnings
- $52,126
- Net price
- $32,640
- Federal debt
- $35,000
- Graduation rate
- 58%
- Rank in Florida 16
Daytona Beach, FL · Private nonprofit · #355 nationally
22.7Value- Earnings
- $46,540
- Net price
- $13,059
- Federal debt
- $32,000
- Graduation rate
- 34%
- Rank in Florida 17
Lakeland, FL · Private nonprofit · #367 nationally
18.0Value- Earnings
- $48,343
- Net price
- $34,297
- Federal debt
- $19,940
- Graduation rate
- 43%
Method: the same value score as the national criminal justice ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about criminal justice colleges in Florida
What are the best colleges for criminal justice in Florida?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Florida colleges for criminal justice are Florida State University (value score 80.9), Florida International University (value score 72.9) and Nova Southeastern University (value score 69.7). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Florida college has the highest earnings for criminal justice graduates?
Nova Southeastern University: its criminal justice graduates have median earnings of $71,972 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable criminal justice college in Florida on this list?
Indian River State College has the lowest average net price of the ranked Florida colleges, $2,617 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Florida colleges are ranked for criminal justice?
17 Florida colleges have a criminal justice bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Florida.